


To be the focus [Part 2]

by Fangirlmoon



Series: To build a home [16]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Autism, Autistic Spencer Reid, Canon-Typical Violence, Caring Derek Morgan, Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid Friendship, Hurt Spencer Reid, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Derek Morgan, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 04:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30083220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlmoon/pseuds/Fangirlmoon
Summary: The aftermath of the replicator planting cameras all over their house and sending the footage to the team.(This is the second part,you can find the first part in the notes or in this series)[This is an AU in which Morgan and Reid share a house (as friends). The parts can be read independently.]
Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid
Series: To build a home [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155380
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1:
> 
> [**To be the focus [Part 1]**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/30060453) (6009 words) by [**Fangirlmoon**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlmoon)  
>  Chapters: 4/?  
> Fandom: [Criminal Minds (US TV)](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Criminal%20Minds%20\(US%20TV\))  
> Rating: General Audiences  
> Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings  
> Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid  
> Characters: Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner, Penelope Garcia, Alex Blake (Criminal Minds), David Rossi, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Henry LaMontagne  
> Additional Tags: Past Sexual Abuse, Autism, Autistic Spencer Reid, Drunk Aaron Hotchner, Protective Derek Morgan, Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid Friendship, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Hurt Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug, Angst, Protective Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Stalking  
> Series: Part 15 of [To build a home](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155380)  
> Summary:
> 
> The replicator installed cameras around their house and sends videos of it to the team. 
> 
> (They will me multiple parts which can all be found in this series) 
> 
> [This is an AU in which Morgan and Reid share a house (as friends). All the other stories in this series can be read independently.]

They had packed their bags without talking and then drove straight to the airport to fly to Chicago. 

"Spencer I am sorry,I shouldn't have touched your stuff and I shouldn't have said those things. I didn't mean them,you are valuable asset of this team and more importantly you are my friend."

"It's fine." It wasn't hard to read on Spencer's face that it isn't.

"Kid-" Rossi wants to try too but Reid interrupts him.

"We have a flight to catch." 

"Of course, text us if you need anything and let me know that you are okay?"

"We will." Morgan turns around too following Reid to security and Hotch and Rossi are left back. 

"They will come back."

"I know." 

Their house was currently searched by Agents and evidence was collected the houses of the others would be searched for cameras too. Every little part of the house had been watched, even the basement and bathrooms and a small camera was hidden inside their little shack. It is clear that they can't live here if this guy isn't caught because if he could hide all of them this good it is likely they are some that can be found years later.

Alex had been coordinating the whole thing until Hotch and Rossi come back while Garcia was able to save the footage and was reviewing it with JJ. She focussing especially on the clips were you can see someone in the house trying to identify them while JJ tries to find clues in the other videos. "This is awful." She mutters watching Reid panicking while Morgan is trying to soothe him. "This are their moments, we shouldn't be seeing this."

"If it helps watch the clip of Spencer giggling again." JJ smiles shortly and takes a deep breath rewatching the current video. "Don't feel bad for slapping Morgan sometimes he needs that."

"I was just so mad and it just happened I mean we are fine now but seeing it on Video and especially the team seeing it it just makes me feel bad even more."

"What about May? Do we have to call her?"

"I don't know. I leave that decision to Hotch. I would probably feel better if I didn't know they are sextapes of me but if this gets published she will feel even worse." Morgan ends up calling her himself while they wait for their flight.

"Listen don't freak out, drive to the office and tell them your name and then ask for Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, she will help you with this and she won't be judging you." Spencer is sitting in front of him nervously moving his leg up and down. "I am really sorry."

"It's not your fault. I will do what you told me. Can I call you if I have any questions of problems?"

"Of course, you can call me for this any time." It was kinda awkward between them it hadn't really been a relationship but when she told him she found someone to go out with they immediately broke up contact and somehow Morgan had still been disappointed eventhough it was his own fault that he missed the chance. "Don't hold back on the receptionist, make a scene if necessary don't go away until they let you speak to someone on my team. I will send you a list but don't tell them what it is about but you can use my name. Tell them I send you or even that Spencer send you."

"You don't know me if you think a receptionist stops me."

"I didn't think so, women. Listen I have to get on a flight but after that and before that I am here."

"Thank you, stay safe."

"You too." 

Throughout the flight and even after they landed Spencer had been scanning his environment, being jumpy, being started by loud noises and people with fast movements. "We are okay."

"He was in our house multiple times!"

"I know and believe me that scares the shit out of me too but we won't go back in there until he is caught. I promise you."

"We can't stay here with your mom till then."

"We can take a hotel room back in DC and we have teammates with couches and- and- you know when we spend some time here and everyone calmed down and we can all talked I am sure Rossi is still letting us stay with him."

"I don't want to stay somewhere without you."

"I promise no matter what option we take, I will be there with you." His sister picks him up and they stay in her small apartment with her fiance for the night.

"We don't have a guestroom or anything but we will take the couch it's fine."

"No please we called this spontaneously we will sleep here and tomorrow we will drive to mom's."

"Let me at least get you two something to eat." Morgan sits down next to Reid, they didn't tell her what happened but it is clear that something is wrong. Morgan is a family person but he won't show his face around here randomly. He is to concentrated on the job for that. 

"What about taking you jacket and scarf of?"

"Do you think he will publish videos of me naked too?"

"I don't know. Hotch wrote they were cameras in both our bathroom so he probably has footage of that." 

"I am sorry he made the team watch the videos of you-"

"The team won't judge you for any of the videos okay? We can do in our house what we want and I don't know what he wants to accomplish by sharing the video with me and May in the kitchen but I think if there are more videos to be published he will pick ones to start fights between us and most likely between us and the team."

"He already did. We flew to Chicago." 

"I know but you have to promise me that we don't start to shut each other out too."

"I won't." Morgan watches Spencer's hands for a while, burying the sharp nail of his thump in the skin between his fingers and scratching it drawing red lines but no blood. 

"I am sorry what I said on the phone with Sarah,it was out of context. I didn't mean your stims-"

"It's fine I don't want to talk about it." He bits out and leaves for the bathroom. The apartment has three rooms and a hallway. The living-, dining-, and bedroom being in one so they probably won't have any privacy over the night but apparently he didn't have that over the last months either. 

"Are you guys okay? I don't need any details but I need to know if my little brother is fine."

"We just need some time, thank you for letting us stay."

"Always. Your team is okay right? No one is hurt?" She asks hesitated.

"Everyone is fine no worry." Desiree catches him later checking the door lock twice, the same with the window. 

"We are on the fourth floor, Der. Nick will be home later his shift goes till around one. He knows you are here."

"Is he still doing two jobs?"

"He just can't say no, he doesn't want to leave his friend alone with the bar."

"As long as he takes care of his fiancèe."

"He does. No need to interrogate him when he gets back." The apartment has two smaller couches so each one of them cuddles up on one. "Are you guys sure you don't want the bed?"

"No it's fine go lay down. You have to work tomorrow."

"You just take what you need and stay as long as you want." 

"We will." It takes a few minutes and Desiree turns the light off. "Sorry but could you maybe leave it on? Or do you have another light for over here?"

She does turn it back on and Morgan can hear her turning in bed. "You can switch on the light in the kitchen it will shine in the hallway and I will leave this one next to my bed on if that's okay."

"Thank you." Reid keeps reading for some time while Morgan closes his eyes but has problems to sleep. He has the feeling of eyes burning into his neck and he can't stop thinking about what also he could have taped. The oldest video was at least 8 months old and they don't know how long before he started this. He has been active since before the whole Maeve thing. Morgan gets woken up with a shook when Nick comes home and he reaches for his gun but reminding himself soon enough who it is before he could pull it out of his bag. 

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you." Nick whispers and Morgan looks over to Spencer who was still asleep.

"No problem." When Nick closes the bathroom door Morgan let's out a shaky breath feeling his heart race in his chest. How many times did someone break in and they didn't hear it? How often just to feel the power over them? It's possible he had people walking in and out while they were on a case just changing the cameras adjusting better ones.


	2. Chapter 2

"We can't put all of our attention on this he has been taunting us for months, we will work this till a new case gets in but then we have to put this aside."

"He was stalking all of us. He placed cameras all over their house and even in Morgan's office we can't let this go." JJ complains. 

"These are the orders I have. I will try to get us as much time as possible but these videos don't give us much."

"He filmed himself."

"Or it was someone he payed again just like the boy who broke the bricks into the house." Hotch knows that everyone was on the verge of just snapping at each other but no one wants to be the first so he starts. "Why was Spencer forced to talk about Meave. There was no reason to." 

"He wasn't talking to anyone." Alex excuses.

"He was talking to Morgan. And Rossi." 

"And Morgan asked me to talk to him since I got him to talk about her ones before."

"Forcing him to talk about things never did any good with him."

"But getting drunk and making fun him does?" JJ accuses him and then looks at Rossi. 

"We weren't making fun." 

"What were you even doing at their stuff?"

"I don't remember. I didn't mean what I said, I appreciate Spencer and I have for the last ten years and eventhough our start was rough we are okay now and that is what I meant."

"And you Rossi? Spencer does everything to make it right for you. You think he likes car? No he doesn't. He hates it and still he read as much as he could about old italian cars so he could talk to you about it. And that he adores you shouldn't give you a free pass to treat him like shit it should do the opposite." The man says no thing to defend himself.

"Let's get home. It's late we are all tired and two man down. All of your home's have been cleared, except for Rossi's and mine. Will and Henry are still at Jessica's if you prefer to stay over there you can do that she offered the guestroom and the two are already asleep in there she is still awake to let us in if you want." He speaks to her about the argument with Morgan in private in the car on their way over. "You know that I don't tolerate any physical fights on my team and I know it was just a slap on the face and I know you two handled it but I don't want to see or hear about anything like this ever again."

"Did you hear what he told Henry? I know it was wrong but he said that- and Henry told me- and I was just so angry and- and we made up a few days later." 

"Does that happen often? My own team fighting and I don't even take notice?"

"No, Morgan and I- we never fight it was just that one time and we both wanted to make things right afterwards." 

"And the others?"

"We are a good team, Aaron. We are a family but a family has to talk about things in order to be a good one and letting Morgan and Spence leave to Chicago was not the right thing to do."


	3. Chapter 3

"Spencer please eat something. You didn't eat yesterday." Morgan pushes the plate with toasts closer to him again. Nick was still asleep and his sister at work. "One and I eat the other. I promise it won't make you sick." 

"You can't know that."

"I do. You don't get sick from eating one toast you get sick from not eating anything so in with it." And then he turns around continuing to do the dishes from last night as a way to compensate his guilt about coming here so sudden. "We are gonna take a cap to my mom's when we are done eating breakfast okay? She is excited to see you I guess even more than to see me." He jokes but doesn't get an answer and goes back to the living room to pack up their stuff. By the time they get to the house Spencer was desperately in need to have some quiet and wanted to sort his thoughts he couldn't think and he can't help it but Morgan doesn't realise or doesn't want to realise.

"I am happy to have you two here for a few days or how ever long you want to stay."

"You will get tired of us pretty easily believe me." 

"I don't think so as long as I am not hiding you two from the government down here." She jokes. 

"You caught us." 

"I know what my son is up to." Morgan hopes she doesn't because she sure as hell doesn't need to know there are sextapes and basically videos of every second he spend in his house. "Spencer honey are you okay?" As an answer he grabs Morgan's bag to get his speech book and then reads out a page.

"I am stressed out because I can't think and that confuses me." 

"You remember my room? C'mon we will get up there and you can have some quiet. Okay?"

"Quiet."

"Good c'mon." 

"So why are you really here? That Hotchner guy hasn't given a free week in years. Why would he start now?" Fran questions him when he gets to sit down with her. 

"Because we had a lot of vacation days left and a man needs his mom sometimes."

"But for what? For a vacation? I don't think so if you two got a spontaneous vacation you two or at least you would be laying at a beach somewhere gettin' the ladys." She makes her son smile for a moment. "So what's going on?"

"We just had a fight with the team. It's okay we just need some time without them."

"Since when do you run from a fight?"

"Some things are better talked about when everybody thought about their words before they say it before more people get hurt."

"That bad?" Morgan played with the cup in his hand,his finger sliding over the warm surface.

"We will be fine." His eyes trail to the note book on the end of the table. Spencer had left it there before going upstairs. It is dark grey from the outside but from the side it almost looks colourful. It is thick and notes are looking over the edges. 

"What's with that?" He reaches over to grab it and opens the first page and turning it towards her. It was written with a black ink in an old cursive handwriting. 'My Name is Spencer Reid' and write under that his address in Vegas in another writing, easier to read and Morgan would say it is a man's handwriting.

"It's his note book,speech book whatever you want to call it I am not sure. And it contains phrases and routines he can read and follow when he gets stressed out."

"Did his mom make it?"

"She started it. There are a few things his father wrote but not much, our old supervisor and Hotch did and I did too." 

"It's falling apart." She remarks.

"I know" He closes it and looks at the used edges. "I bought one that was having already prepared pages and you just had to fill it out and I did but he was not a fan it always has to be this old thing." 

"It's a lovely memory of all the people that helped him."


	4. Chapter 4

"Sir we got another video." Garcia marches into the conference room were they are still working on the material from yesterday. "I got it saved like the others."

"Play it on the screen." They all had a long talk about what happens when new videos turn up. That they can't have anyone not tell the others just because they are embarrassed of what they saw. 

_ "I hate you" _ Spencer and Morgan are standing in the last room of the hallway, Morgan with something in his hand that they later can make out as a shirt.  _ "I hate you." _

_ "No you are upset because I washed our shirts wrong and now some don't fit anymore you don't hate me." _

_ "My shirts" _

_ "I know I am sorry we can buy new ones and you have a lot other shirts in your closet." _

_ "They aren't the same." _ In his voice they can hear that he is crying but they can't see his face clearly. The camera must have been installed somewhere in the staircase.

_ "But we can buy cool new ones, we can go right now if you want and make a list of thrift stores." _

_ "No" _

_ "Spencer I am really sorry." _

"That's all sir." Garcia announces.

"Well we already now that happens and that he easily has an emotional attachment to things." Rossi comments.

"Maybe it's about the beginning." Hotch questions. 

"But Morgan knows Spencer didn't mean it and that he says those things when he gets upset." Alex has witnessed that before and Spencer apologises afterwards.

"Maybe something happened after this that we don't know of? Something he wants to remind them of assuming they are here." 

"I will call." Morgan's first instinct was to turn his phone around and continue eating but on a second thought and Spencer nudging the phone towards him he picks up.

"Hotch"

"You are on speaker is Spencer with you?"

"Tell me why you call first." They had a long discussion behind them and he was finally eating something. 

"We got another video."

"What is it about?"

"Can you patch Spencer in?"

"No I am eating with him and my mum. Just tell me what it is about." 

"It was the fight you had over the shirts that got ruined in the laundry." Rossi steps in.

"I sent you the clip." Garcia's voice rings through the phone. 

"I don't have the nerves right now I will watch it later and then call you back." With that he hangs up and throws his phone onto the cupboard next to the table making Spencer flinch. "Sorry"

"You just got a new phone."

"It won't be broken." Spencer wanted to get up and check but Morgan told him not to and to sit down and eat. "What was the phone call about?"

"I will tell you when you finish that plate." 

"Well he is in a good mood." Rossi takes a tablet in his hand again looking at the screen cap from the video.

"He has a right to be." 

"He has a job to do." 

"We would all be on edge if that was our house that has been used like this." Hotch defends him. 

"We can't work this properly if they are not here." Alex pleads. 

"They need time and we will give it to them." 

"Mom can you give us a minute?"

"Of course." With a warm smile she leaves the room taking the plates with her.

"What did Hotch say?"

"They got another video. Garcia send it to me he wants us to watch it and tell him what we think." 

"Do we have to?"

"No"

"Are you saying this because it's true or because you want to protect me?" Morgan's silence was answer enough so Morgan grabs his phone and opens the video. 

"Ready?"

"Yeah" Hesitating Morgan starts the video and can watch Spencer's shame throughout the whole time till it ends. "I am sorry."

"No need to be sorry."

"I don't hate you."

"I know you show that every day." He pulls him against him. "Why do you think he send the video?"

"To let them know we fight?" 

"Why this fight?"

"Because I was being irrational and you weren't but leaned into it." 

"You think he knows we left?"

"I can imagine him knowing we are not with the team I don't think he knows were we are."


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was quiet, they went to the mall with his mom and meet for dinner with Sarah and her husband and back at the BAU nothing had changed and no Video reached the team but on the third day Spencer broke down in tears. "I can't understand you, you need to calm a little bit down first, can I help you with that?" Spencer is sitting on his bed, they were just about to finish their morning routine and Morgan asked him if he wants to take his blanket with him downstairs when it happened. 

"I am-I am- I am sorry."

"For what?" Comforting he moves his hand up and down Spencer's side. "Take your time." Spencer goes again to wipe his tears away his stuff animal in the other hand.

"For always being so difficult."

"You are not being difficult."

"I am." 

"Why do you think you are being difficult?"

"I embarrass everyone."

"How?"

"No one needs their blanket, and- and- and- no one needs help- needs help with getting dressed and no one- no one embarrasses his boss by not speaking- not speaking clearly on their first days- or need to- need to be hold back because- because they get to excited. And you- you- you shouldn't fight with- with JJ because of me- or- or with the- with the others." 

"That is not being difficult or embarrassing me."

"But everyone else- Hotch and Rossi and- and- and- I- I- need- need so much of your time- and you- you could- could- could have gone down to your mother a long time ago- and- and- I am- I am- I am just stupid and- and childish."

"No don't say that. I don't ever want to hear you say that again this has nothing to do with being stupid. You are the smartest person I know and you know that too and that has nothing to do with how much time I spend on you and I chose to do this every day because I am your friend and because I love you and needing this help is not childish." 

"I couldn't even- even get- get into the- into the shower."

"Because the water wouldn't cool down that was a technical issue not something that is your fault."

"But you can just fix it and I- I- freaked out."

"There is no shame in needing to stick to the plan you were just trying to do the right thing next and you did it good. You sat down and you waited for me to help you and you stayed calm. No meltdown. No panic attack. And even if you did have one that is not something to be ashamed of or something that is up to you."

It follows a long day of cuddling on the big sofa Spencer cuddled in his blanket and on top of both of them another one while just watching different shows on TV. When his mom comes home she sits down in her armchair and joins them but she has more eyes for her son than for the TV. Clunching the man in his arm to his chest, being lost in the world on TV. She doesn't think she has ever seen him this relaxed since he left the city.

"You have a bunch of metal toothpicks. They are Bobby pins. What's a Bobby pin?-"

"Kid slow down, are you trying to tell me something or are you repeating phrases you heard on the TV?"

"Repeating." He shuts up watching Morgan tie his shoes because he didn't realise he had to do that. 

"Keep going you can repeat the whole time we walk no one will hear it." 

"No."

"You don't hurt anyone by doing this. I am sorry I said that on the phone to Sarah and I am sorry that Hotch and Rossi said those things about you. We all had no right, because I am incredibly proud when you repeat stuff rather than hurting yourself or trying to mask all day because this is a lot healthier."


	6. Chapter 6

They stayed two more days before flying back to Washington and coming into the office with they bags still with them. They are being greeted with the message of new videos being published. "Before you watch them. Let me give you the chance to make up for what I said. You are more than welcome to stay in my guestrooms for the time it takes to catch him."

"We don't want your charity."

"Morgan-" Spencer tugs at his arm ones. "We don't really have anywhere to go and he apologised."

"We won't even notice each other if we don't want to."

"Fine." 

"You are coming with me right?"

"That's what I promised you." They sit down next to each other, Morgan holding the tablet in both hands, Spencer hugging one of his arms having his chin on top of it. "How many are they?"

"2"

The video starts with laughter from both of them, sitting on the floor of Morgan's office, a bottle between them and both of them recognize what evening this must have been, the window doors open to the garden. _"Go on."_

_"There is nothing to go on with."_

_"You don't kiss a girl that pretty and walk away, come on tell me."_

_"I swear to you nothing happened."_ Spencer says and Morgan takes another sip out of the liquor bottle.

_"Come on, you must have gotten a little lovin' "_

_"I swear to you I haven't."_

_"Fine."_ Morgan passes Spencer the bottle again. They had been getting drunk all evening and it didn't take long for Spencer and with his empty stomach and hardly any sleep it didn't for Morgan either. _"What time is it?"_

_"10 PM and 36 minutes."_

_"I feel like we passed midnight already."_

_"We did in England."_ The older Agent snorts ones and takes the bottle back.

_"You heard from Emily recently?"_

_"No. I wrote her a letter but I didn't get an answer."_

_"She is probably busy in her fancy high tech office down there."_

_"I want to see England before I die."_

_"We can manage that."_ The video cuts to them sleeping on the couch staying at that for a long minutes that gives Morgan goosebumps and then switches to the morning after. _"I have a headache I need water."_

_"I actually pretty liked last night."_

_"Me too but I regret it now."_

_"I think we should do it more often."_

_"Kid that is not a good idea. I am to old for this."_

_"But it felt really good. Notice how I almost didn't stim ones I got a good amount of alcohol in my system and I- it was just easier. And I didn't stress about stuff the way I normally do." In the video you can see Morgan stop in worry about the excitement from Spencer about this._

_"We shouldn't do it again it wasn't smart."_

_"Why?"_

_"We can't get drunk after a bad case. It's not good."_

_"It doesn't hurt ones in a while."_

_"Spencer it was a dump Idea to suggest that in the first place."_

_"You seemed to like it yesterday."_

_"You are an recovered drug addict. If we start drinking around the house what do you think will happen?"_

"We never did this again." Morgan announces to the team and starts watching the second video.

_"I don't want your apology."_ Spencer is sitting on the floor on the soft carpet, his back against the couch, a blanket over his legs.

_"I shouldn't have done that I panicked."_

_"You hurt me."_

_"I know I am sorry but you were really scaring me and you wouldn't stop hurting yourself."_

_"I told you not to hold me down."_

_"I know. I don't know what got into me, I should have never done that."_ Morgan can feel Spencer hugging his arm stronger and then the video shows what had happened. Spencer was in the living room and had started a puzzle on the coffee table getting frustrated and something was clearly bothering him, his tell is the way he rubs his ear against his shoulder multiple times and how he rubs his eyes. He was talking to himself and eventually started hitting his head and got up to the kitchen to escape whatever was bothering him and sits down there but he seems to not be able to get rid of it and sits unfortunat causing him to hit his head over and over against the edge of the small shelve containing cooking books and when Morgan steps in he tries pulling him away from the edge but Spencer starts fighting him, kicking after him so Morgan decides against pulling and pushes him on the floor holding his arms and the video stops.  
Morgan knows it took an eternity to calm him down and he also knows he was the reason.

"You okay?" 

"Yes" 

"Promise?"

"Yes." 

"Why don't you two get settled in at Rossi's you have your flight behind you and I am sure some quiet won't hurt." Hotch offers and they quickly accept following Rossi into the car and driving with him to his mansion. The whole ride quiet and Morgan can see Spencer mouthing words and making attempts to hit his tight but stopping before he actually does.

"Do what you need to do." He tries but Spencer ignores him so when they pull up into the driveway and Spencer walks up to the house Morgan stops Rossi. "I appreciate what you are doing for us but I don't adore you like he does. I am grateful for you letting us stay here but one single comment one wrong word about any of his stims or anything else, we will be out of here and I don't think working together will go back to what it was."

"I won't say a word." They follow Spencer up the path and Rossi leads them up the stairs. "Bedroom number one and two you may chose who gets which." It's a short hallway with two guestrooms and two bathrooms. 

"You chose,pretty boy." 

"The first."

"Alright I will leave you to it, you know how to get back down into the kitchen, don't snoop around to much." He tells them and goes back down the stairs and Morgan can only imagine which parts of the house he hasn't seen yet if it is this big. 

"Look how big the bed is."

"You are only saying this because we slept in my old teenage bedroom the last nights."

"This is really fluffy." He moves up and down a few times and then sits still not sure were to look. 

"No masking just because we are guests in this house okay? Remember that Rossi was drunk in that Video and that he loves you no matter if you stim or not." Morgan hates saying this but he knows it's what Spencer needs to hear and he somehow has to give Rossi credit, he adores the kid just as much as it is the other way around. 

"Can you leave me alone for a bit?"

"Of course I will be next door." The moment he hits the mattress he was out like a light only waking up when Spencer pulls his shoes off. "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of you."

"You don't have to do that. What time is it?"

"Almost nine PM."

"Oh fuck. I am so sorry." 

"No problem. I got everything done. I got settled in and Rossi showed me were he keeps most of his books and I just wanted to say goodnight." 

"Goodnight, leave the light on your nightstand on if Rossi can pay for a mansion like this he can pay for the light shining all night."

"I will." It doesn't take a minute and he was out again and wakes up almost too perfect at six. 

"Hey you, what's wrong?" Spencer was sitting on his bed, his hair wet and he was already dressed. 

"I want to go home."

"I know." Morgan grabs a towel from the shelve and starts rubbing Spencer's hair with it. "It will take a while and then we can."

"I don't want to stay somewhere else."

"I know me neither but it is better than being watched like some animal in the zoo."

"I just want things to be normal." He leans his head against Morgan's stomach seeking the physical contact.

"You are doing good. You got up by yourself got showered and dressed with wet hair and we are more than in time that Rossi can drop us off at our house to get my car." 

They sure as hell didn't search the house carefully. Books were stacked in the middle of the living room, some parts of the ceiling cracked open, the same in the kitchen. The stairs had holes at the side and they were red circles everywhere were a camera was. The guest bathroom looking surprising okay but Spencer's floor was a mess, it also has been the easiest to hide camera's in and the more Morgan walked through his house the more he was glad that Spencer had driven with Rossi to the office instead of coming in with him. He goes downstairs into the basement, getting a basket they normally use for laundry and starts picking up things around the house he doesn't need agents to stump on. Placing Spencer's books on the table in the living room and the ones in the last room to the side.   
All the picture frames that hung in the hallway were picked apart and put on the kitchen table. They are all kind of pictures, from their childhoods, from the team, from their families. 

The last thing he does before leaving the house is filling another baskets with clothes because they sure can't live out of their little bags for what god knows how long and then he leaves the house and just when he does he gets an anonymous text, a screenshot from him standing inside the house, they had missed a camera in the lamp in the kitchen and he snapped, going back in and shooting at it multiple times. 

The team gets the video of it,he had missed. "Is this live?" JJ asks.

"He wanted to go there. I didn't assume he wanted to go in so long." Spencer says looking at Morgan standing in the kitchen and burying his face in his palms, the gun still in his hands.

"He shouldn't be in the house." Hotch pulls his phone out to call him."We are getting video footage of you standing in your kitchen is that live?"

"If I just picked up my phone, yeah."

"It hangs behind but yeah you are now. Get out of there." 


	7. Chapter 7

It takes a while, Morgan and Spencer living in the guest rooms of Rossi's mansion feeling more bad for it every day especially when they come home and meet Strauss in the kitchen and while Spencer doesn't connect the dots Morgan does pretty quickly grabbing Spencer by the waist and announcing they will go see another movie at the cinema. 

And especially towards the ends they were just not enjoying this anymore at all. "It's okay." Morgan is hugging Spencer from behind,pressing his own arms and Spencer's against his chest who sits on a high chair at Rossi's cooking isle. "I know this is frustrating, but we can't change it, and I am incredibly sorry for that." Spencer sobs ones and Morgan hugs him closer, they had been eating and while Morgan appreciates getting to know the full list of Rossi specialties Spencer really doesn't because most of it is new or has a wide texture or tastes to strong mostly to salty for him and he just wants to eat the food that Morgan always lets him eat and he just wants things like they were. "I can only help you when you talk to me." Instead Spencer was crying, the tears dripping down his cheek and the snot running from his nose, sometimes fighting against Morgan's hold but not actually wanting to be let go he just wants him to fix everything like he always does. "I know this is a lot and I want to go home as much as you do but right now we can't and I want to make this better for you but you need to help me find a solution because I am at the end of my abilities here." Spencer hits his head against Morgan's chest ones and then gets slowly caught into the repetitive motions and he was let go and Morgan wasn't holding him anymore and he couldn't hit his head and there was this weird buzzing feeling inside his arms and it's not strong but also not not there and the same is in his legs and his ears feel like he can hear that feeling.

Morgan calls Hotch the same evening, telling him that Spencer needs a leave of absence and that he will work from Rossi's if possible and Hotch clears them both for two weeks after Morgan explains to him what is going on. And they use it good even if it doesn't look like it for others.

They rest for the first two days and then Morgan starts introducing smaller routines with the goal of using them when he is ready to go back to work. 

A new morning and night routine that fits with Rossi's and then three times that he will eat without any distraction and slowly, it took more than two weeks in the end, he still seemed a little bit unsure but okay in the new routines and the moment they were on a case it was okay anyways because nothing changes there.

Then New York happens and they catch him. After what felt like in eternity they catch the man that made their lives a living hell especially Rossi's and then they pull up in front of their house and their light in a kitchen is on as well as the one in the living room and when they come in they see Will standing on the counter of the kitchen screwing in a light ball into the socket. "I thought I start this while you were at dinner at Rossi's, this place needs some work." They hear footsteps and then Henry steps around the counter.

"I found the brush daddy!"

"Perfect, put it next to the paint will you? Mommy is gonna start with that." As if she heard the whole conversation, the door behind them opened and JJ steps in. "There she is." 

"Hey I see you already got things done." Morgan only realizes now that he had repaired the ceiling that had the bullet holes in it. "I am gonna change real quick and start with the wall in the living room." 

Morgan and Spencer were still left dump folded when Hotch comes in announcing to fix the stairs and then Garcia who starts on the picture frames.

Spencer starts sorting his books again and eventually Blake shows up starting with Morgan to fix his bedroom and late in the night Rossi shows up, saying he can't sit around the empty house it won't do anything good and by the end of the night Henry was cuddled up with Hotch on the couch both asleep, JJ and Will painting the window frames in Morgan's office, Rossi and Morgan fixing last things in Spencer's bathroom who was refilling the shelves in his office while Blake brings an order into his room and Garcia carefully stacks the books in Morgan's and puts everything in the bathroom were it belongs. 

No one wanted to stop working that night,no one wanted to think about their last months no one wanted to think about what happened in New York, what happened with the helicopter, what happened at the house and so for a few days everybody came back to their house until there was nothing left to do and eventually everyone was back home.

JJ and Will cuddled up on the couch, Henry cuddling against her, Alex's husband had come home after she told him what happened and was cooking dinner, Rossi sitting at the table in his backyard drinking a glass of scotch while a tear rolled down his cheek thinking about what he lost and almost lost in this fight. Garcia was at the office, she had found a list with every camera and they had removed all, and now she was making the hard disk with the videos for evidence, debating if she should just press the wrong button and everything would be gone, no one would see what hat happened in the house again but she goes with the right thing, filing it correctly and then bringing it to Hotch's office who took it and thanked her but he couldn't what she could and took the hard drive back to Morgan who made sure no one would ever be able to watch again to that thing. Destroying every single piece of it until he is sure that even the best technicians can't safe it.

"Is that the hard drive?"

"It was."

"It almost seems so irrelevant. I mean I survived a helicopter crash. What did we think could this thing do to us?"

Morgan snorts ones looking at Spencer who was screwing with his eyes because of the sun and then shaking his head. "You are something else kid."

"Luckily I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you can find the Series in which Savannah moves in with them (no worries this series will be continued as well):
> 
> [ **To get to know you**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29641464) (3271 words) by [**Fangirlmoon**](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirlmoon)  
>  Chapters: 3/3  
> Fandom: [Criminal Minds (US TV)](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Criminal%20Minds%20\(US%20TV\))  
> Rating: General Audiences  
> Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings  
> Relationships: Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid, Savannah Hayes/Derek Morgan  
> Characters: Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Savannah Hayes  
> Additional Tags: Autistic Spencer Reid, Autism, Caring Derek Morgan, Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid Friendship, Worried Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid Angst  
> Series: Part 1 of [To build a family](https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178036)  
> Summary:
> 
> Spencer finally meets Savannah.
> 
> [In this AU Morgan and Spencer have lived together in the same house for years when Morgan and Savannah get serious she moves in with them and later Hank too. The parts can be read independently.]


End file.
